Several Dahi Handi mandals across the city expressed their disappointment with the Supreme Court (SC) directive capping the height of the human pyramids and the participants' age on Wednesday.
The Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak had filed a plea with the SC, urging it to allow pyramids up to 43ft. While their spokesperson remained unavailable for comments, other mandals said that though they will follow the Apex Court guidelines, they were not happy about it.
Geeta Zagade, secretary of the women wing of Dahi Handi Utsav Samanvay Samiti, said, "The state government failed to represent the issue in the Apex Court. We have to obey the SC order, but they shouldn't have restricted the height of pyramids and age of Govindas at the same time. Every year, the restriction orders come only a few days ahead of the festival, giving us no time to defend ourselves. There are chances of some mandals breaking the rules."
Echoing the sentiment, Ganesh Adavidekar of the Sai Dham Govinda Pathak Lalbaug, said, "We used to have a lot of fun while practicing. Now we are very upset. This is a loss of the culture. Now, we will be making pyramids only to keep the tradition alive."
Rahul Pawar, coach of the Girgaum-based Jari Mari Govinda Pathak, said, "Now, even if we are fully prepared technically, we can't go against the SC order. Our preparations will go to waste."
Speaking about the festival, Jogeshwari resident Amita Satam said, "Dahi Handi is loved because of the human pyramids. Their height is a major attraction of the festival. The SC verdict may become a reason for the festival to be a low-key affair this year."
